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ROLEX PARIS MASTERS

October 29, 2018

Kyle Edmund

Paris, France

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How are your energy levels at this stage of the season?
KYLE EDMUND: They're all right. I mean, for me personally, I've been traveling or playing for a little bit of time now. So it's normal to sort of start each day feeling it or, yeah, getting a bit tight. You kind of manage your energy level.

But at the same time it's the last week of the year, so that always maybe helps to maybe know that you can give it your all and leave it all out there in this stage of the tournament.

Q. I know it's been a week or so since you won in Antwerp. Tell us what that meant to you winning that title.
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, it was great for me. There's always an ambition or a goal to win an ATP title, you know, in the professional tour. So that's always something you want when you're younger, and to do it is great. I mean, I've won some Futures and some Challengers but you could say those are sort of stepping stones to the main tour. So it's great to get that first one.

And yeah, I mean, I've always felt that I've had the game to do it but it's, you know, proving that you can do it and just personally, like, selfishly a great feeling to win a tournament.

Also, you know, you can have good results from week to week, and, you know, like the nature of reaching the semifinals of a Grand Slam is a really nice result but it's always winning events which is even better. And when you train all the time, it's nice to know that you're training to win titles rather than semis and stuff.

So it's good to do that, especially I guess this timing of the year. Not many tournaments left, that I got one this year just helps me or it just helps in lots of areas, you know, knowing that you've got that and you can really concentrate for next year as well.

Q. You're usually pretty cool, calm, and collected. We're not used to seeing that kind of outpouring at the end. Were you a bit surprised yourself at your emotional reaction to what was obviously kind of a watershed moment?
KYLE EDMUND: I mean, not really. I mean, I know what I'm, like, sort of inside myself, like, my personality and stuff. So it's more just, you know, you could clearly see that I wanted to win and, you know, when you're not getting maybe your result you want.

And, like, for me, this is sort of my life, you could say, so everything I try and do is geared to winning and trying to win tournaments. And this has been a goal of mine for a little bit of time.

So there's been more disappointment than success obviously because I've not won one set every week. I'm losing at some stage. So to put in the effort, you know, physically and mentally to sort of get that reward was like a, you know, really sort of good feeling, and I guess sort of, you know, like a release basically from getting that.

Q. Was that the first time you've been top seed at a tournament like that?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, I think so. I've been two, but maybe that was the first one I've been one.

Q. Coaches and ex-players always say when you get to those tight finishes, you have to kind of be bold and then the way you finished, particularly the backhand I think was in the penultimate point. It just seemed like you were really prepared to take a risk there and it paid off. Is that something that you've been working on because it suddenly worked out?
KYLE EDMUND: Well, I don't know. I mean, that's my game, though, as well. You can't -- I mean, I couldn't say that's something I've been trying to do in those situations, because I do them most of the time anyway. Regardless of the situation, that's my game.

So that type of match, the way it unfolded generally -- or sometimes when you're in control of the match for the majority, it can get slightly more tight towards the end just because the end is coming and you've been in control the whole way through; so it's always making sure you finish off that match.

But this one was different where I was always coming from behind. And obviously the sets I won was two tie-breaks so it wasn't so much that I was ever in control or in front by a big margin. It was always very close.

So I was always trying to fight back. So the way I played in the tie-breaks were very good. I played good tennis without giving him much from me, like no errors and stuff. I think there was one in the final set tie-break with the forehand.

But it's hard to say. It's just a situation and how it comes. It's just a feeling you get and split-second decisions that you take. And at that point that's obviously what I felt I needed to do with how we were playing and stuff.

And yeah, it's not something you can explain. It's just something that happens really without thinking. And I guess when you are playing your best tennis, the less thinking you do is probably the better.

Q. After the victory you had messages of support from Andy Murray, Jamie Murray, and Greg Rusedski. What did they tell you privately? What advice did they give you about the next step and breaking into the top ten?
KYLE EDMUND: Not so much advice, just more congratulations and well done and stuff. So you know, it was great to get from Andy and Jamie and I had Greg and Tim. So, you know, those I guess are the players side.

But I had loads of others just from various people in the tennis world and also my personal sort of friends and family.

So yeah, it was really great and a lot of people were happy for me. So you know, that was really nice to see and, yeah. A few people obviously you haven't heard from that you get texts from in a while. So yeah.

Q. Question about Novak Djokovic because he came back No. 1 this week. When you defeated him in Madrid this year what did you think at this moment about him and what do you think about his comeback?
KYLE EDMUND: I didn't really think anything of him at the time, not in a negative way, but just because I was focusing on myself and when you're playing someone or you have a good win, you don't analyze them. You analyze yourself because you're wanting to improve.

But, yeah, I mean, I obviously played him again in Wimbledon. That was, I found, like, a lot closer match in terms of the swings. The Madrid match was me in favor of the first set and then it switched straight away. He broke me first game of the second set or my first service game, and then in the third set it was closer. But I obviously managed to break him at 4-3 or 4-All. In the Wimbledon match I found it was a lot closer and then towards the end you could say the back third or the second half of the match, he gained a little bit more control.

So I thought it was slightly closer in that sense, less variables. But right now, it's obviously safe to say he's playing very well. Very confident on court, and, I mean, apart from Laver Cup, he's not lost a match in quite a while now.

So, yeah, that's everything to say, he's playing very well of course.

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